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The Federalist Party was one of the first [[political parties ]] in the [[United States]], formed for the purpose of ratifying the [[Constitution]]. [[John Adams ]] was the only Federalist to serve as president, although [[George Washington ]] had Federalist leanings. [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[Secretary of the Treasury ]] for Washington, was for all practical purposes the leader of the party. [[Chief Justice ]] [[John Marshall ]] was the last Federalist in the federal government, serving until his death in 1835. The party met with several setbacks in the early nineteenth century that led to its demise. Hamilton, their leader, died in 1804 as a result of his famous duel with [[Aaron Burr]]. The party opposed the [[War of 1812]], with many of it leaders labeling the conflict “Mr. Madison’s War.” The Federalists were among the interests that called the [[Hartford Convention ]] in 1814 for the purpose of amending the Constitution, and carried with it the implied threat of succession. However, the convention dissolved with news of the [[Treaty of Ghent ]] and [[Andrew Jackson’s Jackson]]’s victory at the [[Battle of New Orleans]].